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E-MAIL AS A TOOL FOR IMPROVING THE WRITING PERFORMANCE

OF THE 4th YEAR TESL STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY

SITI NATERAH BINTI ABDUL WAHAB

Tesis ini dikemukakan sebagai memenuhi syarat penganugerahan Ijazah

Sarjana Muda Sains serta Pendidikan (TESL)

Fakulti Pendidikan

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

MARCH, 2004

v

DEDICATION

This study is dedicated to my beloved parents; my mother,

Puan Hajah Norbayah binti Haji Ahmad, and my father, Tuan

Haji Abdul Wahab bin Haji Ahmad who are always within reach

for support and encouragement throughout the research, without

whom this project paper would be possible.

Not to forget, my siblings who are my brothers and my

sister. They had been very supportive while I was struggling to

finish my study.

Finally, I would like to say "thank you" to my dearest friend,

Hafiz bin Md. Said for his kindness, support and attention.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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In the name of Allah, the Almighty, most gracious, and most merciful, He who owns

all gratitude and praises.

I would like to express my highest gratitude to these people below for their

contribution in completing this project:

Puan Mahani Binti Stapa, who has given both precious support and guidance.

My dearest friends especially Khadijah, Siti Nur Shuhada, Nurizah, Noraini and

Masdini for lending their hands in helping me juggle my work and study.

Not forgetting, my dearest family who have supported me all the way with love and

patience: My mom, dad, brothers and sister.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my darling friend, Hafiz Bin Md. Said who

inspired me in my writing with his never ending support and those who had helped

me in making this project a success.

May ALLAH shower all His blessings upon all of you.

Thank you.

ABSTRAK

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Kajian ini telah dijalankan dengan tujuan untuk mengkaji penggunaan e-mail

sebagai salah satu alat di dalam membantu meningkatkan tahap penulisan para

pelajar di kalangan pelajar Tahun 4 jurusan TESL. Fokus utama kajian ini dijalankan

adalah untuk menjawab beberapa soalan utama yang mana diantaranya ialah a)

adakah penulisan melalui e-mail mampu untuk meningkatkan tahap penulisan para

pelajar? b) di dalam lapangan apakah tahap penulisan para pelajar ini dapat

ditingkatkan? c) adakah para pelajar dapat meningkatkan tahap motivasi mereka

untuk menulis dengan menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris melalui penulisan e-mail?

Sejumlah lima orang pelajar telah dijadikan sampel kepada kajian ini. Mereka adalah

para pelajar Tahun 4 jurusan TESL Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Data bagi kajian

ini diperolehi daripada pesanan yang telah diposkan oleh para pelajar ke alamat e-

mail yang telah disediakan oleh pengkaji. Para pelajar juga telah menduduki ujian

sebelum dan selepas mereka menajalani proses latihan penulisan melalui e-mail.

Keputusan ujian tersebut juga telah dijadikan sebagai data kajian dan telah

dibandingkan untuk melihat tahap peningkatan para pelajar selepas menjalani proses

latihan. Kesemua data yang dikumpul telah disokong dengan maklumat tambahan

daripada temubual di antara pengkaji dan kesemua sampel. Hasil kajian telah

menunjukkan bahawa melalui latihan penulisan menerusi e-mail, mampu untuk

membantu para pelajar di dalam meningkatkan prestasi penulisan mereka terutama

sekali di dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Tahap motivasi para pelajar juga dapat ditingkatkan

dan mereka juga semakin yakin untuk menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris di dalam

penulisan mereka setelah mengambil bahagian di dalam kajian ini. Secara

keseluruhannya, para pelajar dapat meningkatkan prestasi penulisan mereka di dalam

tiga lapangan iaitu isi, tatabahasa dan penyusan isi.

ABSTRACT

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This study aims to investigate on the use of e-mail as a tool for improving the

writing performance of the 4th year TESL students in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

The study attempts to answer the research questions a) does e-mail writing improve

the subjects' writing performance? b) in which areas do subjects' writing skills

improved? c) does the use of e-mail manage to enhance the subjects' motivation to

write in English? The subjects of the study are five UTM undergraduates. The study

was carried out for over a period of four weeks. The data of this study comprised of

the subjects' postings, their pre- and post-test and the responses to the interview. The

results of the study show that there are improvements gained by the subjects in their

writing. These subjects are also able to increase their level of motivation in writing in

English after they have participated in the treatment process. They are also managed

to improve their writing performance in three areas of composition which are

content, vocabulary and organization. Therefore, the conclusion for this study is, e-

mail is able to provide platform for the training of writing for students in order to

improve their writing performance.

TABLE OF CONTENT

viii

CONTENT PAGE

DEDICATION iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v

ABSTRAK vi

ABSTRACT vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS viii

LIST OF TABLES xii

LIST OF FIGURES xiii

LIST OF APPENDICES xiv

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 2

1.0 Introduction 2

1.1 Background 3

1.2 Statement of Problem 5

1.3 Purpose of Study 7

1.4 Objectives of Study 8

1.5 Research Questions 8

1.6 Significance of the Study 9

1.7 Definitions of Terms 9

PART TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 10

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2.0 Introduction 10

2.1 Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

in ESL Classroom 10

2.2 What is E-mail 14

2.3 Why use E-mail 16

2.4 E-mail in ESL Classroom 18

2.5 E-mail and ESL Writing 20

2.6 Assessment of Writing 21

2.7 Conclusion 24

PART THREE METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 25

3.0 Introduction 25

3.1 Methodology of the Research 25

3.2 Research Design 26

3.3 The Subjects 29

3.4 Data Collection 29

3.4.1 Pre test and Post-test 30

3.4.2 Interview 31

3.4.3 Analysis of Printed E-mails 31

3.5 Data Analysis 32

3.5.1 Printed E-mails 32

3.5.2 Pre-test and Post-test 33

3.5.3 Interview 33

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PART FOUR FINDINGS AND IDSCUSSION

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS 34

4.0 Introduction 34

4.1 Descriptions of the Pre-test 34

4.1.1 The Findings of the Pre-test 35

4.2 Descriptions of E-mail Postings 36

4.2.1 The Findings of E-mail Posted 38

4.2.1.1 Content and organization 39

4.2.1.2 Vocabulary 43

4.2.1.3 Motivation 46

4.3 Descriptions of the Post-test 47

4.3.1 The Findings of the Post-test 48

4.3.2 Comparison between Pre-test and Post-test 48

4.4 Descriptions of the Interview 50

4.4.1 Findings from the Interview 51

4.5 Discussions 52

4.6 Conclusion 54

PART FIVE

CONCLUSIONS

CHAPTER V DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION 55

5.0 Introduction 55

5.1 Summary 55

5.2 Limitations of the Study 56

5.3 Pedagogical Implications 58

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5.4 Suggestions for Future Research 59

5.5 Conclusion 60

REFERENCES 61

APPENDICES 65

LIST OF TABLES

xii

TABLE PAGE

Table 1 The Individual Marks for the Pre-test 36

Table 2 Number of Messages Posted by Each

Participant and Total Number of Lines 37

Table 3 The Individual Marks for the Post-test 48

Table 4 The Comparison Marks between Pre-test

And Post-test 49

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURES PAGE

Figure 1 The Diagram of an E-mail Address 15

Figure 2 ESL Composition Profile 23

Figure 3 Diagram of the Research Design 27

Figure 4 The Marks for Both Pre- and Post-test 49

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDICES PAGE

Appendix 1 Interview Questions 65

Appendix 2 Transcription 1 67





Appendix 7 Pre-test-Subject 1 84





Appendix 12 Post-test-Subject 1 94





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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Nowadays, we live in the age of the computer. Therefore, it is hard to deny the

spectacular advancement of technology where the use of computer in our daily lives is

becoming more and more indispensable. This technology can be claimed as a necessary

tool that helps in making human's tasks easier and faster, for example in business,

teaching and learning, and shopping to name a few. It can even bring together people

from every part of the world without them having to see the other person face-to-face.

One of the means of communication is via electronic mail, which is more commonly

known as e-mail.

E-mail is actually the most common usage of the Internet and it is also known as

"electronic post" (Warschauer, 1995 in Rohayah, 1998). The purpose of using e-mail is

to communicate with others. E-mail is able to reach its recipient in a shorter time and is

also easy to use. As a result, e-mail has been used as a medium for students to submit

their assignments or journal to the teacher. Besides, users can use e-mail as a stepping

stone in learning or mastering English as English is the common language used via the

Internet.

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For the teaching of English as a second language specifically, the emergence of

e-mail has sparked off many researches. There are many articles or journals discussing

the use of e-mail in enhancing learners' writing skills, for examples, a journal written by

Belisle (1996) entitled "E-mail Activities in the ESL Writing Class", Ho (2000) entitled

"Developing Intercultural Awareness and Writing Skills through E-mail Exchange" to

name a few.

As English is the second language and international language which is spoken

widely throughout the world, it is important for English to be mastered by citizens of

Malaysia. Besides, it is a bonus for a person if he or she masters this language, whether

in the education or working field. Our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir

Mohamad when delivering a speech to Malaysian students in Washington, United States

of America had urged Malaysians to master English language in order for them to

communicate with foreigners, surf the Internet and follow the latest news on science

and technology (Bernama, 15th May 2002).

1.1 Background

In the process of mastering English, we have to come up with alternative ways

of teaching and learning other than the traditional way. According to McGee (2000),

most of the class time in the traditional classroom is spent on delivering the information

with relatively little time left over for discussion. These are some of the limitations that

often inhibit and restrict students from being more receptive as they have no freedom in

their own learning (Belisle, 1996). Nowadays, aside from traditional teaching, there are

other methods that can be applied in language teaching which are far handier. One of

the methods is by using today's latest technology; the computer. The emergence of the

latest technology promises better employment in teaching and learning process. This

latest technology such as Internet and e-mail manage to create a different set of

environment of learning which is much more interesting than the traditional classroom.

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Furthermore, this technology transferred the learning process from traditional passive-

listening activity to an experience of discovery, exploration and excitement (Belisle,

1996).

Therefore, another alternative to learn English is through online facilities such as

e-mail. Teeler and Gray (2002), in their book entitled "How to Use the Internet in ELT";

stated that Internet alias the Net is also known as cyberspace, the information

superhighway, the online community, the electronic library and the digital revolution.

Besides, Internet is also known as the "road" of the information superhighway. It was

invented by CERN (Centre European pour la Recherche Nuclaire) in January, 1992 (as

cited in Rohayah, 1998). Thus, through this vast medium loaded with gigabytes of

information, users of the Internet can transport information on this highway through

various application programmes such as e-mail and the World Wide Web (WWW).

Users can surf the World Wide Web for information and also to communicate

through e-mail by writing to friends, teachers or others whether to talk about business,

study, life or anything that they wish to talk about. This kind of communication via e-

mail can bring big impact onto the educational field, especially in the process of

language learning, particularly English. Users or learners can simply write about any

topic that sparks their interests in discussing and communicating with others throughout

e-mail writings.

Further, electronic communication has been found to cultivate skills in

independent learning and let students discover their own things that will spark their

interest and increase motivation towards learning English (Tanimoto, 2003). It also

motivates students whether females or males by offering them opportunities for self-

expression and mutual evaluation with people outside the school (Tanimoto, 2003).

Hence, computer as well as the Internet has become an important tool for learning in

this modern world today. It serves as an opportunity to acquire language skills,

specifically writing (Tanimoto, 2003). Shoebottom (2001), states that;

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"The best way to learn English grammar is the same way that you learned the

grammar of your own language; by listening to English and reading it; by

speaking it and writing it."

(eslweb.com)

1.2 Statement of Problem

Recently, we can see that universities in Malaysia, whether public or private

universities, promote current technology in the teaching and learning process. Our

government has provided computer laboratories at schools and universities in order to

ensure that these institutions use information technology as one of the teaching tools in

classroom. Information technology is one of the recent amenities that provides students

with up-to-date information from every part of the world so that they will have more

opportunities to exchange information with other users of Internet. The advantages are

they get to know people from different countries; they also may widen their knowledge

about other cultures, share knowledge on many things for instances on science,

language and technology to name a few and many more. In addition, the information via

Internet is reliable and always being updated. As for that reason, Universiti Teknologi

Malaysia (UTM) has taken the same action in applying the newest technology in its

education system. Therefore, all its students will be exposed to the use of computers in

their learning process.

Besides, from being the electronic library where global information is within the

reach of everyone, users of Internet can communicate with each other by using e-mail,

chatting and newsgroups to name a few (Rohayah, 1998). E-mail plays a vital role as

one sort of communication not only in UTM but also in other institutions whereby it can

be used to communicate with peers, friends or lecturers. The British Council report on

the Internet and English Language Teaching (1996) observes that schools worldwide

have used e-mail for international communication activities since the late eighties

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(Nagel, 1999). As for some institutions, the lecturers may ask the students to submit

assignments, proposals, or journals via e-mail. Obviously that English language will be

the medium of communication on Internet. Therefore, from the educational point of

view, it shows that English language can be learned implicitly through online writing.

As mentioned in the background, traditional teaching methodology is best to be

improved by using the latest amenities such as computer. The process of delivering the

information in traditional classroom may lead to the lack implementation of other

activities as it takes most of the time for teacher to deliver his or her speech. Students

usually feel reserved and bored when exposed to long lectures with little activities and

this situation restricts them from being more receptive (Belisle, 1996). According to

Baharuddin et.al (2003), after 15 minutes exposed to lectures, students tend to be less

focused and start imagining or do other things instead of listening to the teacher.

Therefore, traditional teaching like pen and paper, chalk and talk seem to be outdated as

the emergence of computer promotes better teaching and learning tools. Teacher can

implement autonomous and independent learning strategies in the teaching of writing

for example. By using e-mail, mailing list and chat room to name a few, teacher can

provide a platform for students to practice their writing on their own. Teacher is also

able to monitor students' participation either inside or outside the school time. This is

because these applications are available for 24 hours.

According to the previous discussion, with the use of recent facilities, better

platform of writing practice can be promoted. Due to the problems faced by students in

traditional writing classes, these students tend to be less motivated and lack in interest

in learning and improving their writing performances. This is because, writing skill is

believed to be one of the most difficult skills to acquire compared to the other three

which are reading, speaking and listening. Writing involves brainstorming, taking notes,

preparing outlines, first drafts, revising, editing and final drafts (Belisle, 1996).

Therefore, students are governed to follow the rules and they are apt to feel restricted

and have a tendency to be cautious with the language in order to avoid mistakes. The

restricted feelings felt by the students are contributed by the rules that govern the formal

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class writing. They seem to lack the freedom in expressing themselves; their ideas

especially, as they are afraid of making errors while writing. In classroom writing,

students are required to write in a formal way and primarily utilize the correct structure

of English language. For that reason, many students have less interest in writing and in

the end, not much improvements made by the students.

One underlying factor of the implementation of e-mail in teaching and learning

process, which I consider important, is the use of e-mail in enhancing students' writing

performances. Therefore, the focus of this research is to investigate the impact that e-

mail (a training process in this case study) has in improving the writing performances of

fourth year Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) students. It is believed that

writing via e-mail offers students new environment and more freedom while

communicating with each other. The students tend to feel less restricted while writing as

they are interacting in an informal setting. Here, the focus will be on writing to friends

discussing about their studies in UTM. This is what my short survey will highlight. Due

to this, the researcher is eager to find out what are the benefits of using e-mail among

them. It is hoped that this research will give some contribution towards the teaching and

learning of English language.

1.3 Purpose of Study

This study investigates the usefulness of using e-mail as a tool in enhancing and

improving learners' writing performance in the English language. It also attempts at

identifying how learners use e-mails as one of the ways in communicating for learning

purposes, particularly in ESL writing. It also seeks to study the effects of the continuous

writing by the subjects whether they have shown any improvements in their

performances. Furthermore, this research also investigates how e-mail can help to

motivate students to write.

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1.4 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are:-

a) To investigate the usefulness of using e-mail as a tool in enhancing

learners' writing performance.

b) To identify how learners use e-mails as one of the ways in

communicating for learning purpose, particularly in ESL writing.

c) To study the effects of continuous writing in improving learners' writing

performance.

d) To investigate ways on how e-mail can provide motivation for learners

to use the target language in their writing.

1.5 Research Questions

The focus of this study is on e-mail as a tool of communication that ESL

learners engage in. This study sets out to answer the following questions:-

a) Does e-mail writing help to improve the subjects' writing performance?

b) In which areas do students' writing skills improved?

c) Does the use of e-mail manage to enhance the subjects' motivation to write in

English?

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1.6 Significance of the Study

This study will provide findings that could be useful to improve the

writing skills among the TESL learners. It is also to find out whether by using e-mails,

learners will have more motivation to keep on writing in the target language. The

findings of this study may be of help to other researchers who want to investigate about

e-mail writing. In addition, it is hoped that learners will have better views about e-mails

after being exposed to related researches. Besides, there are not many published

researches on e-mail as the tool of enhancing and improving writing skills in ESL

environment. Therefore, it is hoped that many other users will use e-mails as a stepping-

stone for them to improve their writing skills.

1.8 Definition of Terms

These are the definition of terms used in the study taken from Long. L. and

Long. N. (2001). Computers: 8th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall:

1. Internet – , the – a global network that connects more than tens of thousands of

networks, millions of large multi user computers, and tens of millions of users in

more than one hundred countries.

2. E-mail – a computer application whereby messages are transmitted via data

communication to "electronic mail boxes" (also called e-mail)

3. WWW (World Wide Web) – (the Web, WWW, W3) – an Internet server that

offers multimedia and hypertext links.

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